Occasionally people will see small spots or “floaters” in their field of vision. Floaters are sometimes described as blurred spots or strands that can be seen floating through a normal field of vision, typically more pronounced against a bare wall or a blue sky. For most people, floaters do not severely impede vision. However, for some people, particularly after laser-surgery or other trauma, the problem becomes severe and prevents the ability of the eye to focus properly.
Floaters are often the result of protein deposits floating in the vitreous humor that cast shadows on the retina of the eye. This condition, often referred to as Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD), is a somewhat common occurrence, and is very seldom associated with retinal tears, which is a more serious condition.
At a young age the vitreous humor of the eye is typically firm and gelatinous. As a person ages, the vitreous humor goes through syneresis, the exudation of the liquid component of a gel, in which the vitreous humor resembles water more than it does a gelatinous substance. During syneresis, parts of the gel remains intact, forming chunks, and although they are clear, they cast an optical shadow on the retina, giving them a dark appearance.
Although there have been improvements made to help reduce the above problems by various means in the industry, the problems mentioned above still exist.